NATIONAL  CONGRESS 


OF 

UNITED  BRETHREN  MEN 


“Bir  ©ini'  Sriioer” 


DAYTON,  OHIO 
May  5,  6,  7,  1914 


Issued  by  the  General  Committee 
appointed  by  the  Bishops’  Cabinet 


CORRESPONDENCE 

Correspondence  concerning  the  National  Congress 
of  United  Brethren  Men  should  be  addressed  to 
H.  C.  Cridland,  Secretary,  702  U.  B.  Building,  Day- 
ton,  Ohio. 


National  Congress  of  United 
Brethren  Men 


THE  CALL. 

A  National  Congress  of  United  Brethren  men 
has  been  called  to  meet  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  May  5-7, 
1914.  There  has  been  a  growing  conviction  in  many 
parts  of  the  Church  that  such  a  congress  is  the  will 
of  God  for  our  denomination  at  this  time. 

The  question  was  thoroughly  considered  at  the 
recent  meeting  of  the  Bishops’  Cabinet,  which  in¬ 
cludes  the  heads  of  the  various  departments  of  the 
Church,  and  a  general  committee  was  appointed  with 
power  to  constitute  sub-committees,  to  arrange  a 
program,  and  to  plan  all  the  details  for  the  holding 
of  this  important  meeting. 

PURPOSE. 

1.  That  our  denomination  may  discover  its  re¬ 
sources  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  God’s  will  for  us  in  the 
extension  of  his  kingdom. 

2.  That  we  may  recount  and  be  grateful  for  the 
victories  of  the  past. 

3.  That  the  tasks  and  opportunities  now  before 
our  Church  may  be  set  forth  in  a  comprehensive, 
constructive  and  convincing  manner. 

4.  That  we  may  discover  the  150,000  members  in 
our  communion  now  not  active,  and  the  means  by 
which  they  may  be  enlisted  in  the  work  of  Christ. 

5.  That  strong  agencies  may  be  provided  for  the 
instruction  and  training  of  efficient  leadership,  both 
in  our  local  churches  and  in  the  general  church  work, 
that  our  entire  membership  may  reach  its  maximum 
power  in  the  work  of  the  kingdom. 


6.  That  a  workable,  inspiring,  denominational  pro¬ 
gram  and  policy  may  be  adopted  as  we  enter  the 
second  century  since  the  death  of  Philip  William 
Otterbein. 

PROGRAM. 

A  strong  program  is  in  preparation.  Both  laymen 
and  ministers  will  share  in  the  addresses  and  dis¬ 
cussions.  The  Bishops  and  other  general  officers 
will  bring  vital  messages  growing  out  of  actual  needs 
and  experiences.  Some  of  the  strongest  interdenom¬ 
inational  speakers  of  the  world  will  deliver  ad¬ 
dresses.  There  will  be  a  wide  range  of  subjects 
considered,  as  the  statement  on  “Purpose”  indicates, 
but  the  themes  will  be  so  arranged  as  to  make  the 
program  constructive  and  vitally  related  to  the  devel¬ 
opment  of  the  life  and  work  of  our  denomination. 

In  addition  to  addresses  and  discussions  there  will 
be  much  attention  given  to  conferences  by  Bishops’ 
districts,  and  possibly  to  conferences  of  pastors,  of 
conference  superintendents,  and  of  laymen.  One 
session  will  be  given  up  largely  to  a  presentation  of 
our  united  work  for  all  our  benevolences,  at  which 
time  reports  will  be  heard  from  local  churches  and 
annual  conferences. 

There  will  be  a  great  exhibit  setting  forth  the 
striking  features  of  our  missionary  work,  church 
erection,  educational  and  publishing  work.  There 
will  be  an  exhibition  of  the  latest  books  and  pam¬ 
phlets  on  the  various  phases  of  the  work  of  the 
church. 

TIME  AND  PLACE. 

The  date  fixed  for  the  Congress  is  May  5-7,  1914, 
and  the  place,  Dayton,  Ohio.  The  first  session  will  be 
held  in  the  First  United  Brethren  Church,  corner 
Fourth  and  Perry  streets,  at  2:00  p.m.,  Tuesday, 


T 


May  5.  It  is  important  that  every  delegate  be  in  his 
seat  at  this  first  session. 

By  remaining  a  day  or  two  after  the  Congress 
closes,  every  delegate  can  gain  much  through  attend¬ 
ance  upon  the  annual  board  meetings  which  immedi¬ 
ately  follow  the  Congress,  and  by  visiting  our  splen¬ 
did  publishing  plant  and  other  places  of  interest  in 
and  about  Dayton. 

DELEGATES. 

It  is  very  important  that  delegates  should  come 
from  all  parts  of  the  Church.  The  goal  of  every 
annual  conference  should  be  at  least  twice  as  many 
delegates  as  there  were  in  the  last  General  Confer¬ 
ence. 

After  April  1,  1914,  conferences  desiring  larger 
representations  will  be  allowed  to  enroll  more  dele¬ 
gates  if  all  the  conferences  have  not  enrolled  their 
full  allotment.  In  addition  to  the  Bishops,  general 
officers,  and  presidents  of  our  schools,  at  least  two 
hundred  and  fifty  laymen  and  two  hundred  and  fifty 
pastors  should  enroll.  When  the  number  that  can 
be  accommodated  has  been  reached  no  more  creden¬ 
tials  will  be  issued. 

Laymen  and  pastors  should  mark  the  date  of  the 
Congress  on  their  calendars  and  plan  their  work  at 
once  with  a  view  to  taking  part  in  the  meeting. 
Many  a  church  at  its  own  expense  will  find  it  profi¬ 
table  to  send  its  pastor  and  possibly  a  layman.  In 
some  cases  groups  of  churches  are  sending  delegates. 
Brotherhoods,  Sunday  schools,  and  Young  People’s 
societies  will  send  the  persons  suited  to  represent 
them.  Many  will  come  at  their  own  expense. 

Admission  to  all  the  sessions  of  the  Congress  will 
be  by  ticket.  It  is  important  that  delegates  register 


early  in  order  to  make  certain  of  a  seat  in  the  Con¬ 
gress  and  to  have  sufficient  time  to  prepare  thor¬ 
oughly  for  the  meeting.  The  delegations  are  filling 
up  rapidly. 

NECESSARY  EXPENSE. 

Every  effort  will  be  made  to  reduce  to  the  mini¬ 
mum  the  expenses  of  the  delegates  while  in  Dayton. 
Detailed  announcements  of  entertainment  and  rail¬ 
road  rates  will  be  made  later.  Following  the  custom 
of  such  gatherings,  a  registration  fee  of  $1.00  to 
assist  in  meeting  the  necessary  expenses  is  charged 
each  person  who  enrolls.  The  enrollment  fee  should 
be  sent  to  H.  C.  Cridland,  Secretary,  702  U.  B. 
Building,  Dayton,  Ohio,  who  will  issue  credentials 
and  furnish  full  information. 

INTERCESSION. 

The  Congress  has  been  called  in  answer  to  prayer. 
The  declared  purpose  of  the  meeting  cannot  be  fully 
realized  apart  from  definite,  continuous,  fervent 
prayer,  not  only  on  the  part  of  all  the  delegates,  but 
on  the  part  of  the  local  churches  throughout  the 
denomination. 

Let  prayer  begin  now  for  those  who  have  the 
chief  responsibility  in  planning  for  the  Congress, 
that  the  will  of  God  may  be  done  in  every  phase  of 
the  vast  and  difficult  work. 

Pray  for  all  who  shall  bring  the  messages,  and 
for  all  the  delegates  who  shall  attend  that  they  may 
enter  fully  into  the  purpose  of  this  meeting  and  be 
prepared  to  help  work  our  policies  and  agencies  that 
shall  be  blessed  of  God  in  leading  our  Church  to 
understand  his  full  will  and  to  do  it. 

“Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name,  that  will 
I  do  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified  in  the  Son.” 


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in  2020  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/nationalcongressOOchu 


